Mining company considers appeal

Trans-Tasman Resources now has less than a week to appeal to
the High Court in a bid to save its plans to mine ironsands
off the South Taranaki coast. The Environmental Protection
Authority's declined TTR's application to mine the South
Taranaki seabed two weeks (10 working days ) ago, citing lack
of certainty around negative environmental impacts.

TTR spokeswoman Rose Austen-Falloon said the company had 15
working days to appeal to the high court and intended to use
that time.

"We're still considering our options," she said.

The company had applied for a consent to mine 66sq/km located
between 22 and 36km offshore in the South Taranaki Bight, in
what would be one of the first projects of its kind in New
Zealand.

Up to 50 million tonnes of sand per year would be processed
on ships to remove iron ore with about 45 million tonnes of
waste sand returned to the seabed.

Chairman of the anti-mining group KASM Phil McCabe, who two
weeks ago was celebrating the EPA's decision, did not see
anything for TTR to gain from an appeal.

"They've been given a pretty comprehensive decision already,"
he said.

"I would appeal for them not to appeal."

Mr McCabe said if TTR were to appeal against the decision he
would expect KASM would be involved in fighting it.